2026 PEN/Faulkner Award Celebration
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
6 pm arrivals, 7 pm ceremony, 8 pm dinner and dessert
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
Cocktail Attire
An Event to Remember for Contemporary Fiction Lovers
Our 46th Annual PEN/Faulkner Award Celebration on May 6, 2026 will honor this year’s distinguished books and authors. This exquisite literary evening featured presentations by our judges; meaningful commentary by our winner and four finalists; and a celebration of Willee Lewis, our 2026 PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion.
HONOREES
PEN/Faulkner Award Finalists
PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion
Willee Lewis
SPECIAL GUESTS
2026 Judges
Samantha Hunt
Tania James
De’Shawn Charles Winslow
Master of Ceremonies
Ron Charles
CELEBRATION COMMITTEE
SPONSORS
Katherine Boone & Joshua Geltzer
Susan Coll & Paul Goldberg
Hachette Book Group
Sophia McCrocklin & William Isaacson
Tracy & Gregory McGillivary
Diana Rojas
Ericka Taylor
This list is current as of January 29, 2026.
OUR 2026 PEN/FAULKNER LITERARY CHAMPION
Willee Lewis
Willee Lewis studied English literature and education at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and taught English, writing, and drama in a number of settings, including ten years as a high school instructor at the Washington International School. During a four-decade membership on the PEN/Faulkner Board of Directors, she served two terms as President. The editor of Snakes: An Anthology of Serpent Tales, Lewis served as a member of the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Task Force on the Future of the DC Library System in 2005-2006, and she remains active in several Washington-based charities and arts organizations.
MASTER OF CEREMONIES
Ron Charles
Ron Charles writes about books and publishing for The Washington Post. For a dozen years, he enjoyed teaching American literature and critical theory in the Midwest. Before moving to the District, he edited the books section of the Christian Science Monitor in Boston. His wife is an English teacher and the cinematographer of their satirical series, “The Totally Hip Video Book Review.” His awards include the Louis Shores Award for reviewing from the American Library Association, the Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing from the National Book Critics Circle, and First Place for Arts & Entertainment Commentary from the Society for Features Journalism in 2011. He was one of three jurors for the 2014 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction.
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